Mike Pence

about the man.

Vladimir Putin has made it clear for now more than a quarter century that his ambition in life is to reassert that old Soviet sphere of influence.

And Ukraine is a part of that.

Crimea in Ukraine was a part of that.

But his ambitions don't stop there.

And I hold the view that now is not the time for more talk, more summits, more conversation.

It's time for action.

And having nations free up those frozen Russian assets, as European powers are discussing, make them available to Ukraine, but also, again, passing those strong secondary sanctions.

President Trump has said he would sign out of the United States Senate, sending it to the president's desk, putting real constraints on the energy industry in a Russia that fuels their war machine is the way to go.

Peace through strength has always been the American path in my adult life.

And it's still the answer today.

Well, I didn't have the opportunity to watch the hearings today, but I know what happened that day.

You sure do.

And I'll always believe, by God's grace, I did my duty to see to the peaceful transfer of power.

But with regard to our democracy as a whole, it's...

It's important to remember that every Republican and Democrat on Capitol Hill also did their duty that day.

After the Capitol Hill police quelled the riot, Joe, we reconvened the very same day, Republicans and Democrats alike, and completed our duty under the Constitution of the United States.

I've said that it's a day of tragedy, but it ultimately became a triumph of freedom.

Because our institutions held, our democracy held, and I have great confidence about the future of this country and the future of democracy as a result.

I honestly think that one of the reasons President Trump returned to the White House was because of the overt weaponization that took place at the state level and at the federal level around the country of the criminal justice system.